donderdag 5 februari 2009

Just some thoughts...

Maybe I should keep this blog updated with some stories, some thoughts and other things I want to write down. Every now and then I have the urge to write some things about our trip, about the things we encountered, about the different cultures we met.

Last night I saw a documentary about women in an Israelian prison who were caught wearing a big belt with explosives, ready to give themselves to Allah together with other people who accidentaly happened to be in the same spot as they were. but they failed, and were put in prison.

It is so interesting to see this. What goes on in the mind of these women? Some claim they do it just to get out of their own home, to escape life. Just as I would escape life by going out on my bike, they will have to do horrible things like this. Is it Allah they fight for? or is it their own right for a life?

In Iran we met a lot of women who were so jealous at our trip. So many times we felt privileged with the freedom we have coming from Europe. We use to say: if you really want to, you can just get on a bike and start cycling. But for them life as a women is way harder than for us. And it is not just the veil that keeps them from doing their things. There were so many young girls who asked us if it was possible for them to study in the Netherlands, and I don't think they necessarily wanted to come to the Netherlands...In Gorgan we were invited by a family who took us to some friends. Inside no veils and a life you imagine to life in your own culture. but then the stories about not being able to get out, to be stuck in Iran. You better not be ridden over by a car in this country, because even though you're the one who was hit, you would have to pay anyhow...just because you're a women. Another story is about the english teacher in Minu Dasht and his 16 year old daughter. A really friendly guy who loves cycling himself. So I asked his daughter if she cycled too, upon which the father answers:"no, she is a women, in Iran women don't cycle". So what goes on in his mind standing in front of two women on their bikes, cycling through his country. Is it just the fact that we are from a whole different country that makes it legible for us to cycle around like this, camping in the wild and talking to men?

We met a girl in Mashad who had a friend who cycled around the world. Very special for an Iranian girl. This all happened about 2 years ago.,the organisation is called miles for peace, and they travelled with 14 Iranian people on their bikes. How cool is that! and why doen't it happen more often?

Lately i read an article about a cycling tour in Qatar (ladies tour of Qatar) where it was officially announced that women could cycle without a scarf and in their regular cycling clothes. But there are only foreign female teams...would the teams from their own country also be able to cycle in tight cycling trousers and jerseys? I doubt it.

Maybe I should organise a cycling tour myself, through Iran, together with some Iranian women...just to show that we can do it. Or am I dreaming about something impossible now?

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Us

We are Marjolein en Julie, twio girls from Amsterdam, Holland and we are making a bizar trip on the bike. We want to cheer to our (rowing) friends at the coming Olympics in Beijing. Both our friends and us have the same goal, de rowing course in Mapo, 30km outside of Beijing,we just have a different route.